Filips History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the name Filips were the ancient Britons that inhabited in the hills and Moors of Wales. This surname was derived from the personal name Philip. This name, which was usually Latinized as Philippus, was originally derived from the Greek name Philippos. This Greek name was composed of the words "philein," which means "to love," and "hippos," which means "horse." The personal name Philip owed its popularity to the medieval romances about Alexander the Great, whose father was Philip of Macedon.

Philip of Poiters (died 1208?) was Bishop of Durham and a favourite clerk of Richard I. He accompanied the latter on his crusade of 1189, and was present at his marriage with Berengaria of Navarre at Cyprus in 1191. 1

Early Origins of the Filips family

The surname Filips was first found in Kent, where legend has it that the family (but not the surname) is descended from Maximus, the Briton, Roman Emperor from 383 until his death in 388, and the King of Britain, when he married the daughter of Octavius, King of the Britons. Later the family was forced back into Wales by the invading Saxons, where they traditionally claim descent from Tudwal (c.AD 528-564) "of the wounded knee," a descendant of Rhodri Mawr, first King of Wales.

Early History of the Filips family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Filips research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1279, 1500, 1533, 1543, 1560, 1566, 1568, 1570, 1586, 1587, 1588, 1594, 1599, 1604, 1613, 1614, 1620, 1629, 1630, 1631, 1638, 1640, 1644, 1653, 1662, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1680, 1696, 1699, 1701, 1706, 1709, 1720, 1721, 1724, 1749 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Filips History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Filips Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Filips have included Phillips, Philips, Phillip, Philip, Pilip, Pillips, Fillip, Filip, Filips, Phillipes, Philipes, Phillup, Philups, Fillups, Filups, Pilups, Pillups, Fulop and many more.

Early Notables of the Filips family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sion Phylip (1543-1620), Welsh poet, son of Phylip ap Morgan; Sir Robert Phelips (1560-1614), English Speaker of the House of Commons and master of the rolls, was fourth and youngest son of Thomas Phelips (1500-1588) of Montacute, Somerset. Miles Philips (fl. 1587), was an English mariner with Captain John Hawkyns on his voyage of 1568. He and another 114 were put ashore near Panuco, Mexico. They were captured and indentured as domestic servants. Philips also worked in a mine where over four years accumulated some four thousand pieces of eight. During the...
Another 270 words (19 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Filips Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Filips family to Ireland

Some of the Filips family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 109 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Filips migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Filips:

Filips Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Paulus Filips, who arrived in New York in 1709 2

Filips Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Filips, who landed in Texas in 1850 2
Wylem Filips, who arrived in Texas in 1850 2

The Filips Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ducit amor patriae
Motto Translation: Patriotism leads me.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)